What are flagella and cilia

Question

What are flagella and cilia? How do such structures acquire movement? Provide some illustrations of flagellated and ciliated cells in humans?

Answer 1

Flagella and Cilia are structures found in certain prokaryotes and also in some eukaryotic cells. They perform defense, nutrition and movement roles for the cell. In eukaryotic cells of protists and animals they initiate from centrioles which migrate towards the plasma membrane and distinguish into structures projected exterior the cell.

Each and every cilium or flagellum is made up of nine peripheral pairs of microtubules and one central pair all enclosed by membrane. (In bacteria, flagella are made up of a protein named flagellin and there can as well be fimbria made up of pilin).

In the fixation base of each and every cilium or flagellum in the plasma membrane there are proteins which work as molecular motors giving movement for such structures with energy spending. Due to this energy spending flagellated or ciliated eukaryotic cells have a big number of mitochondria.

In humans ciliated cells can be found, for case in point, in the bronchial and tracheal epithelium. In such tissues the cilia contain the defensive function of sweeping mucous and foreign substances which enter the airways.

Sperm cells are a usual illustration of flagellated cells; their flagellum is the propulsion equipment for the movement in the direction of ovule.